The Sandman

We begin…

…in the waking world,

which humanity insists on calling the real world…

As if your dreams have no effect upon the choices you make.

You mortals go about your work,

your loves, your wars,

as if your waking lives are all that matter.

But there is another life which awaits you when you close your eyes…

And enter my realm.

For I am the King of Dreams…

…and Nightmares.

When the waking world leaves you wanting and weary,

sleep brings you here

to find freedom and adventure.

To face your fears and fantasies

in Dreams and Nightmares that I create…

And which I must control,

lest they consume and destroy you.

That is my purpose and my function.

Or it was,

until I left my kingdom to pursue a rogue Nightmare.

My Lord, you are coming back, aren't you?

Why would I not return, Lucienne?

I don't know, a presentiment.

As powerful as you are here in your realm,

Dreams rarely survive in the waking world.

Nightmares, on the other hand, seem to thrive there.

Wake up, sir, we're here. Fawney Rig.

Already?

I must have dozed off.

Thank you.

Oh.

Good afternoon, lad. My name is Dr. John Hathaway.

Of the Royal Museum?

Are you here to see the Magus?

Well, I've come to see Mr. Roderick Burgess.

Father likes to be called Magus. It means sorcerer.

Hmm.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

The Magus will receive his guest in the study, Alex.

Yes, Mr. Sykes.

Have you come to join Father's Order?

The Order of Ancient Mysteries.

Dr. Hathaway, what an unexpected pleasure.

Alex, tea for our guest.

Please, sit down. You must be exhausted from your journey.

Thank you.

I take it you've reconsidered, then?

After our meeting at the museum…

I know what I said.

I received a telegram this morning.

My son, Edmund,

his destroyer was sunk last week, off Jutland.

Oh, my condolences, Doctor.

We are bonded

then, in our grief, you and I.

As you know, I lost my son Randall recently at Gallipoli.

Forgive me, I…

I understood that Randall was your only son.

Randall was my greatest joy.

All this was meant to be his.

So, have you brought it, the Magdalene Grimoire?

If I give you the book…

Can you really…

Capture the Angel of Death?

Oh, yes.

With the spells recorded in this book,

we can compel Death to return our sons to us.

Your Edmund and my Randall will live again.

It's all right, Dr. Hathaway. Here.

Tonight, we will achieve what no one before us has even attempted.

We will summon and imprison Death.

Here in the darkness.

Here in the darkness.

Corinthian.

My creations stay in The Dreaming.

They do not walk amongst the living, killing mortals for pleasure.

Isn't this why you created me?

Why should we confine ourselves to their sleeping minds?

Here, in the waking world, we're unstoppable.

There is nothing preventing us from taking

whoever, whatever we want.

There is though.

My Lord…

Please, no.

No, no, no, I beg you.

Please…

Here in the darkness.

I give you a coin made from a stone.

Here in the darkness.

I give you a knife from under the hills,

and I give you the blood from out of my vein.

Here in the darkness.

I give you a song I stole from the dirt,

and I give you a feather

pulled from an angel's wing,

for you to lift up into the heavens.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

I summon you with poison.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

I summon you with pain.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

I open the way, I open the gates.

Here in the darkness. Here in the darkness.

I summon you in the names of the old lords.

Namtar, Allatu, Morax… Maborym calls you.

Horvendile calls you.

We summon you together. Come!

Alex.

Alex!

Get that pouch for me.

But be careful.

Don't break the binding circle.

Hmm. Sand.

Now the jewel. There.

Good.

Well, let's see what other treasures you have for us.

The bird!

- Father! - No! No! Stop.

Move.

Hmm.

We'll let our guest recover

before we tell him our demands.

Guards, watch him.

I was powerless,

trapped by a spell cast by an amateur

with no concern for the damage he had done to my realm

and to his own.

For the following morning, there were some sleepers…

Unity.

…who could not wake up.

Unity.

Rise and shine, dormouse. Can't have you late to school, can we?

Luvvie? Wake up. Unity?

- What's wrong? - Call the doctor.

Hello, operator.

The sleepy sickness, as it was called,

affected nearly one million men, women and children

in every city, town and village in the world.

Sykes! Alex!

Oi!

Good morning, Magus.

Do I know you?

No, but I know all about you, Roderick,

and the being you've trapped in your cellar.

Blackmail then, is it? A shakedown?

Not at all. I'm here to help you.

You're gonna need all the help you can get.

There are benefits to keeping one of The Endless close.

The Endless?

Did you think Death was the only one in charge?

The Reaper has family, you know.

Desire, Destiny, Despair.

Which one have I got then?

Dream.

What's the good of a god who governs dreams?

Not a god.

More than a god.

And are men not governed by their dreams?

You've taken his vestments?

The ruby, the pouch and the helm?

They can lend you an aspect of his power.

Extend your lifespan, allow you to manipulate others.

But you must ensure that he never escapes.

The binding circle is intact.

The circle will not be enough.

You must construct a sphere of glass inside the circle

to contain Dream's physical manifestation.

No one must be allowed to fall asleep in his presence, no one,

or he will escape into your dreams.

And you don't want that.

There are Forced March tablets.

Stimulants used to keep trench soldiers awake.

See that your guards use them at all times.

Um… Why are you helping me? What… what is he to you?

Well, you could say that he made me what I am today.

And if he ever gets free, he could take it all back.

We're being observed.

What? There's nobody here.

Well, you'll have to deal with that one.

Her name is Jessamy.

She belongs to him.

Best of luck… to the both of us.

Will I see you again?

You should hope not.

You can go.

Are you awake?

Are you listening?

I know who you are…

Dream of The Endless.

I captured you according to the laws of magic.

But it wasn't you I wanted.

I wanted Death to return my son Randall,

who died in the Gallipoli Campaign.

If you give him back to me, alive and well,

I'll release you.

Is that in your power, Lord of Dreams?